Method of producing gas.



' Patented Aug. 20, 190i W. J. KNOX.

METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS.

(Application filed Nov. 12, 1900.)

(No Model.)

IN WIN TOR m: Norms PETERS co, PHOTOJJTKO" WAENNGTOM D. c.

Unrrn *rnfrns PATENT rrrcn.

\VILLIAM JOHN KNOX, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORL TO GEORGE\VESTINGHOUSE, OF SAME PLACE.

METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS.

SPECIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,78 5, dated August20, 1901. Application filed November 12, 1900. Serial No. 86,266. (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOHN KNOX, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMethods of Producing Gas, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method of manufacturing gas.

The object of the invention is to provide a convenient method ofoperation for the economical production of gas.

The invention is particularly useful in the manufacture of fuel-gasescontaining a large proportion of water-gas; but I do not limit my claimsto such uses. Inthe manufacture of such gases from bituminous coal Ihave found great economy in carrying on the process in two vessels orproducers, one for making water-gas and the other for distilling offhydrocarbons. Economy of production requires also that an approximatelyuniform gas-making temperature should be maintained in thesevessels-that is to say, a temperature corresponding to the temperatureof reaction. The producers should be furnished with the correctproportions of steam and heat energy.

The general plan of carrying out my invention consists in circulatingthrough the producers a large quantity of gas serving as a heat-carrierand in alternately cooling and heating the circulating gas, so that thegas shall enter the producers at a high temperature and deliver up heatto the contents of the producers and before it is returned to theheatingapparat-us cooling it to such a temperature that the end of theheating apparatus which it enters shall be maintained at a comparativelylow temperature. The heating apparatus must be periodically reheated bythe consumption of fuel, and that this may be done-economically it isnecessary that the end of it from which the products of combustion aredelivered shall be kept at a mod erate temperature; otherwise a largeamount of heat would escape to the fines and thus be wasted. I haveprovided a convenient and 'efficient apparatus for heating up the stovesby burning gas produced in the system.

In another application I have described a is through the pipes a asystem employing two producers and four stoves which are successivelyused as heating and heat-absorbing stoves. In the present applicationthere is described a plant using but two stoves, and the constructionand operation of this system will be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

In this application I have claimed the process hereinbefore described.In another application, Serial No. 36,267, filed by me November 12,1900, claims are made to the ap paratus described herein.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan showing the general organization ofthe apparatus, and Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof.

Referring to the figures, A A represent two stoves of any suitablecharacter adapted to be heated by the combustion of gas supplied theretoin a manner to be described.

13" B represent two producers of any suitable character. These producersare connected together at their bottoms by apipe l). The stove A isconnected by a pipe at with the top of the producer 13, while the top ofthe producer B is connected by a pipe a with the stove A I have alsoshown two economizers or steam -generators E and E These are connectedwith each other by a pipe a, in the circuit of which there is in serteda fan F, adapted to be driven in either direction-as, for instance, by amotor M for forcing a circulation from one economizer to the other, andvice versa. The stove A is connected by a pipe a with the economizer E,and the economizer E is connected by a pipe a with the stove A. A thirdeconomizer or scrubber E is connected with both economizers E and E bypipes a a respectively, and an outlet-pipe a leads from this scrubber toa gasholder, a gas main, or a gas consuming device. Branch pipes a alead from the pipe CV1 to the stoves A and A respectively, forsupporting combustion in heating up the stoves or superheaters A and AThe connection of the pipe at with the pipe or is adjacent to theeconomizer Eiwhile the connection of the pipe or is adjacent to theeconomizer E. The connection of pipes a a with the respectivesuperheaters A A These pipes 66 a serve as air-blast pipes for supplyingair for the combustion of gas for heating up the respective stoves.Suitable air-inlet pipes and valves are provided in the pipe a asindicated at c and c Valves 0 and c are alsov inserted in the pipe a forcontrolling its openings, and valves 0 0 control the openings of thepipes a and a Valves 0 and c control the openings of the pipes at and 01through which the products of combustion escape from the stoves A and Arespectively,when they are being heated up.

The operation of this apparatus is as follows: The system is started inoperation by first building a fire in one of the producers B, forinstance. Then the valve 0 is closed and the valves 0 and c are opened.Then by starting the fan in the direction to force the air within thepipes toward the econoinizerl E air is drawn in through the valve 0, andpassing through the fan a portion is forced through the economizer Einto the stove A and thence through the two producers B and 3 to thestove A. In passing through the producerB prod ucer-gas is generated.Meanwhile the valve 01. being opened, the requisite portion of air isforced through the pipe a to the stove A, where it furnishes oxygen forthe combustion of the producer-gas which is being received from theproducer B. This gas'is burned in the stove A, and the prodnets ofcombustion pass out at the cold end.

through the pipe a to the economizer E,

and thence out to the atmosphere through valve 0 and pipe at. This iscontinued until the requisite heat is given to the stove A. Then for thepurpose of heating up the stove A the valve 0 is opened, and Valves 0,c, a, and c are closed. The valves 0 c and c are then opened, and thedirection of the motion of the fan F is reversed. Thereburned in thestove A In starting up the producer B may be charged with more than'suflicient fuel for heating up both stoves, so

that there will be sufficient coke left in this producer after theheating of the two stoves to commence the subsequent gas-makingoperation. heated, all the valves are closed with the exception of c and0, thus connecting the two stoves, the two producers, and the twoeconomizers in a closed circuit. The fan is then driven in eitherdirection which may be selected-as, for instance, in such direction asto force the contents of the pipesthrough the stove A and from thatstove into the producers. from the producers B B through the stove A andeconomizers E and E entering the stove A when it is cold becomes heated,and passing out at the hot end enters the producer B at the top. Asteam-pipe d leads from the economizer E to the pipe C0 or to theproducer B, and a similar steam-pipe d When the stoves have been thusThe gas being received connects the economizer E with the pipe at? orthe producer B These pipes are for the purpose of furnishing steam forwater gas making. The heated gas and steam passing downward through theproducer B, which contains coke, forms water-gas, and this enters theproducer B at the bottom and passing upward through the coal containedtherein distills off the hydrocarbons and passes oft through the pipe ofinto the hot end of the stove A where the gases are fixed by the heat ofthis stove. In the heating up the producer B will have been left with acharge of coke,assuming that that producer was the one originallycharged. Then as the operation proceeds coal is fed into the producer Band this is gradually reduced to coke while the coke in the producer Bis being consumed in making water-gas, and when the producer B is thuspractically emptied the producer ]3 has been filled with coke by thedestructive distillation of the coal continuously fed into it. Inpassing through the stove A the gas is cooled and the larger part of theremaining sensible heat is stored up and subesquently returned to theproducers when the circulation is reversed. Then it passes through thepipe a to the economizer E containing water, to which it delivers theremainder of the heat, thus conserving such heat. It passes thencethrough the pipe at to the economizer E. A portion of the gas is thendrawn off through the pipe a to the scrubber or economizer E and thencethrough the pipe a to a holder or service pipe. The remainder of the gaspasses from the economizer E back to the stove A and continues itscirculation, as already described. The gas is thus raised to a maximumtemperature by the stove A and is reduced to its minimum temperaturebefore entering that stove: v The heat which is not extracted from thegas by the stove A however, is yielded up in the economizer, beingutilized in forming steam for delivery to the producers, and the heatwhich is delivered up into the stove A is returned to the producers inthe subsequent step in the process that is to say, when the directionofthe circulation is reversed. When the stove A has fallen in temperatureto such a degree that the heat delivered by it to the gas isinsufficient to maintain the producers in an efficient gas-makingcondition, the stove A is again heated up to the maximum temperature inthe manner already described, and then the direction of the fan F isreversed and the process is continued by causing the circulation to takeplace from the fan to the economizer E the stove A then through theproducers to the stove A and to the economizer E. The excess of gas isthen drawn off through the pipe a and the scrubber E the amount beingcontrolled by the valve The operation of the apparatus then proceeds inregular periods of alternation, the next operation after the onedescribed being the heating up of stove A by blow- 'ciency in theconsumption of fuel.

ing air through the producers and gencrating producer-gas. Thisoperation does not involve any change in the direction of rotation ofthe fan. The next operation will consist in the reversal of the fan andcirculation of the gas through superheater A, producers B B andabsorbing or cooling stove A in the escape of a portion of the producedgases through economizer E the necessary changes in valves beingunderstood. In pass ing through the steam-economizers or steamgeneratorsthe temperature of the gas is reduced to, say, about 212 Fahrenheit orto such temperature as the products of combustion escaping from thestoves when they are heated by the combustion of the fuel may be allowedto leave without too great a waste of heat. There is constantly beingdrawn 011' an amount of gas dependent upon that which is beinggenerated, and an approximately fixed quantity is kept in circulation,carrying heat from the stove into the producers and maintaining therequisite temperature for carrying on the gas-making processes therein.

In the foregoing description I have referred to the apparatus asincluding economizers E E in the circuit. I wish to have it distinctlyunderstood, however, that it is not always necessary to employeconomizers or steam-generators, such as E E for by properlyproportioning the stoves A A the stoves themselves may be made toabstract from the gas and to conserve suflicient of the heat to renderthe apparatus highly economical and efficient without the aid of thesupplemental devices or steam-generators E E It will be now understoodthat by increasing the size of the stoves the temperature of the gaspassing through a stove from the producers may be lowered in the stoveto such a degree that it will pass out from that stove at the desiredlow temperature and the cold end of each stove maintained at therequisite temperature.

An important advantage of this system resides in the fact that no valvesare required except those in relatively cold pipes. Moreover, lowtemperatures at the cold ends of the stoves are insured, because the airused in blowing up will enter the stove at atmospheric temperature. Thisresults in high effi- In each successive operation of generating gas theprocess will start with a very hot producer suited to water-gas making,because of the previous blowing up with air.

It requires but a short time to heat up the stoves when once the systemhas been set in operation, because the entire system is al ready at ahigh temperature, and hot air is used to generate the producer-gasemployed for heating up the stoves. Therefore the unproductive periodsof the plant are relatively short.

This process produces a gas containing practically all of thehydrocarbon, as the stoves are heated up with dry producer-gas made fromthe coke remainingin the producer after the coal has been distilledduring the gasnia-king period.

The invention claimed is- 1. The process of operating a gasproducingplant which consists in manufacturing gas by circulating gas through aheating device and into the producer, thence through a heat-absorbingdevice, thereafter heating the heat-absorbing device by forcing airthrough the heating device and into the producer, thereby formingproducer-gas, delivering the producer-gas to the heat-absorbing deviceand burning it therein.

2. The process of operating a gas-producing plant which consists inmanufacturing gas by circulating gas through a heating device and intothe producer, thence through a heat-absorbing device, thereafter heatingthe heat-absorbing device by forcing air through the heating device andinto the producer, thereby forming producer-gas, delivering theproducer-gas to the heat-absorbing device and burning it therein, andthen using the heat-absorbing device as a heating device and circulatinggas through the producer in the opposite direction and cooling the gasfrom the producer in the device previously used as a heating device.

3. The hereinbefore-described process of manufacturing gas whichconsists in circulating gas through a heating stove and through aproducer, passing the gas from the producer through a second stove,continuing the process until the first stove has partially cooled,thereupon supplying additional heat to the system by forcing a supply ofair directly into the second stove and simultaneously forcing a supplyof air through the first stove into the producer and delivering producedgas therefrom, to the second stove and burning the saine'in conjunctionwith the said air.

4. The hereinbefore-described process of manufacturing gas whichconsists in circulating gas through a heating-stove into the producer,passing the gas delivered from the producer through a second stove untilthe first stove has partially cooled, thereupon forcing air into theproducer then passing the gas produced thereby into the second stove andforcing additional air directly into the second stove, burning the airand gas thus delivered to the second stove, and delivering the productsof combustion to the atmosphere.

5. The hereinbefore-described process of manufacturing gas whichconsists in forcing a circulation through heating devices and producingdevices in opposite direction alternately and in supplying the heatnecessary to restore the heating devices to their requisite temperatureby delivering thereto, for combustion, gas produced in the system duringthe intervals between the productive op" eration of the plant.

6. The hereinbefore-described process of generating Water-gas whichconsists in forcing a circulation of gas through a heating device intothe producer and simultaneously supplying the necessary steam to theproducer: and thereafter restoring the heating device to its propertemperature by generating producer-gas within the system and burning thesame within the heating device.

7 The hereinbefore-described process of generating water-gas whichconsists in forcing a circulation of gas through a heating device, theproducer and a heat-absorbing device in series, until the heating devicehas partially cooled, thereafter raising the heatabsorbing device to theproper temperature to act as a heating device by forcing air' throughthe producer thereby generating producer-gas and burning the same in theheatabsorbing device and thereafter forcing a circulation of gas in theopposite direction through the system thereby utilizing theheatabsorbing device as a heating device and the heating device as aheat-absorbing device.

Signed at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, this 7th day of November, A. D. 1900.

WILLIAM JOHN KNOX.

WVitnesses:

J. A. ADAMS, R. J. BRATTON.

